Hi! I'm Evie — and I've made a career out of writing about travel. So when I had a baby, I knew I wanted to travel internationally with her as soon as possible.

But no amount of prior travel could fully prepare me for the art — yes, the art — of traveling with an infant.

1. NAILED: I applied for her passport as soon as I had her birth certificate.

2. FAILED: The passport process was painless — except when it came to getting her photo taken.

3. NAILED: In preparation for the "big trip," we did a few overnights in other places so she would get used to sleeping in other places.

4. NAILED: We chose Jamaica because it's close to home — and booked a trip for three full weeks.

5. FAILED: We booked our flights in two legs — first, a flight to Dallas, an overnight, then the flight to Jamaica.

6. NAILED: The Tula carrier (which I got as a hand-me-down) was key for on-the-go napping and transporting.

7. NAILED: We brought her car seat and rented a car.

8. FAILED: We ended up staying in a remote part of the island — and I had major anxiety about access to hospitals and the like.

9. NAILED: At the last minute, I packed a beach tent, which ended up being crucial.

10. NAILED: I brought the feeding basics, but didn't end up using everything I brought.

11. FAILED: A full-coverage swimsuit is key — leave the cutesie baby bikinis at home.

12. FAILED: Same goes for clothes — even though Jamaica was hot, we put her in long-sleeve onesies and pants every day.

13. NAILED: I did a TON of research on non-toxic sunscreen and bug spray and finally found the good stuff.

14. FAILED: But, I forgot to sunscreen her hands.

15. NAILED: I only brought enough diapers and wipes for the first couple days.

16. FAILED: We improvised when it came to her bed — but a little extra planning would've made it easier on all of us.
